The present invention relates to hoses and hose apparatus and to methods for manufacturing such hoses. More particularly, the present invention relates to types of hoses which are used with clamps for sealing connections to fittings.
A hose is a flexible tubular structure for conveying a fluid from one location to another. Some hoses are used in portable situations, such as garden hoses and fire hoses which carry water from sources to nozzles or other distribution devices, such as a sprinklers. Such hoses usually have conveniently removable connectors, such as threaded connectors. Other types of hoses are used in more fixed situations, such as where fittings to be connected by the hose are not aligned or where there is some movement between the interconnected fittings. Such hoses are often connected to the fittings by less conveniently removable means, such as circumferential clamps. Hoses intended for carrying fluids at high pressures are usually reinforced, as by one or more layers of a reinforcing fabric or other material. Hoses intended for use where they are subject to abrasive contact are provided with toughened external layers.
In a situation in which a hose is not under significant pressure or axial stresses, a hose may be retained on a fitting by frictional contact alone and adequately seal the carried fluid therein. If the hose is to be subjected to relatively high pressures and/or axial stresses, a retainer mechanism is usually employed to retain the hose on the fitting and to maintain a fluid seal between the hose and the fitting, such as a circumferential clamp. Conventional hoses do not provide structure to limit how far the hose should be sleeved onto a fitting or to suggest the most effective location to place a circumferential clamp.
In automotive applications, a coolant or water pump is employed to cycle an engine block coolant liquid through finned passages of a heat exchanger referred to as a “radiator” to transfer engine generated heat from the coolant to air flowing across the passages to thereby stabilize the temperature of the engine block. The radiator is typically rigidly mounted on a support frame, such as the vehicle chassis, while the engine, with block and water pump, is connected to the frame by somewhat resilient motor mounts to accommodate engine vibrations and engine movements in reaction to engine speed changes. Radiator hoses are typically used to connect the radiator to the engine block and water pump.
Friction between an inner surface of a hose and an outer surface of a fitting can cause difficulties when a the hose is sleeved onto the fitting. Thus, the diameters of the inner hose surface and outer fitting surface must be related in such a manner that excessive labor is not required to install the hose on the fitting and that leakage between the surfaces is not promoted.
Hoses may be formed of a variety of rubbers, polymers, and composites depending of their intended use and environment. Hoses may be formed in discrete lengths or continuously by molding processes, extrusion processes, or the like. Hoses may be formed to shape in a “raw” condition and subsequently processed or treated to cure or vulcanize the material for strengthening and incorporating desired characteristics. Reinforcing layers for hoses can be in the form of woven, braided, or wrapping of fibers or threads. Reinforcing layers can be applied in discrete lengths or continuously woven about a hose layer formed by a continuous process.